Kyiv Confirms Starlink Stability for 400 km/h Drones After Weeklong Blackout

Ukrainian defence authorities confirmed on Saturday that satellite communication links for military drones moving at speeds exceeding 400 kilometres per hour are stable. This update marks the end of a disruption lasting more than a week that hampered drone operations against Russian forces. The restoration of service follows direct negotiations between Kyiv and Washington.

Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara stated that both Starlink and Starshield connections are functioning reliably on equipment travelling at over 250 miles per hour. He attributed the resolution to diplomatic efforts led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and ongoing talks with the United States. Prior to the resolution, the exact origin of the speed restrictions remained unclear. US President Donald Trump denied direct responsibility for the limits while defending the actions of SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk that provides the critical satellite infrastructure.

The incident has added tension to the relationship between Kyiv and Washington. Relations were already strained by Trump's recent agreement to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel and permit US imports. Tensions escalated earlier this month when Trump called for Ukraine to elect a new president. On Monday, he suggested that a figure other than Zelenskyy should negotiate on behalf of Kyiv. These remarks followed a public confrontation between the two leaders at the White House in February 2025.

The return of satellite service coincides with an effort to revive peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. This will be the first such gathering since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the planned talks on Friday, while Zelenskyy announced agreement on technical-level meetings.

Trump also credited his wife, Melania Trump, with securing a local ceasefire in Oleshky, a town in the Kherson region occupied by Russian forces since 2022. Ukrainian and Russian statements indicate the ceasefire will begin on October 27, with a humanitarian operation planned for October 29.

Combat continued across the front line during the satellite disruption. A Russian missile strike on Lozova in the Kharkiv region killed one man and wounded two others on Saturday, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. In the north, a Russian attack on Chernihiv on Friday killed one man and wounded at least 25 people. Donetsk officials reported that shelling in Kramatorsk killed one person and wounded six, including three children. Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh said attacks on Friday killed a 62-year-old woman and wounded four others.

Ukrainian forces reported strikes inside Russia on Friday and into Saturday. Targets included the Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant in Togliatti, a major synthetic rubber producer where Mayor Ilya Sukhikh confirmed industrial damage but no casualties. Ukraine also claimed hits on the Proton electronics plant in Oryol, which manufactures missile components. Regional Governor Andrei Klychkov reported three deaths in an attack on an unidentified facility. Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported power cuts following overnight attacks. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed its air defences intercepted a SCALP cruise missile, four Neptune missiles, and 1,297 fixed-wing drones over 24 hours, figures TASS reported could not be independently verified.